The Twilight Zone (2002) s01e03 Episode Script

Shades of Guilt

- Hey, honey. - Hi. - Yeah, I just left work. - Can you stop at the market? Yeah, I'm gonna stop at the market. - You need anything? - Soy milk. Soy milk? OK. You got it. - I love you. - I love you, too. How long you gonna be? I don't know. I guess it depends on how long the line is. It shouldn't be too busy. Hurry home, OK? Help me! Hey, babe, I gotta go. I'll call you back. Hey, help, please! Hey, listen to me! They're right behind me! No, come on! Open up, please! Help! Listen Come on, open up, please! My name is John Woodrell! Hey! Open up! Come on, man! Please! Please! Plea Portrait of Matthew McGreevey a man who looks in the mirror and sees a decent, upstanding citizen. But appearances can be deceiving and tonight, Matt's about to get a reality check at an intersection known as The Tw///ght Zone. Matt? No, Reg, not now, please. Hey, are you all right? I kept trying to call you back but all I got was voice mail. One second. I'll tell you all about it. Hey, Reg. Honey honey, are you all right? What You're traveling to another dimension a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are only that of the imagination. You're entering Are you sure I can't get you something to drink or some aspirin? You should have seen the look on his face. I'm telling you this guy, he looked he was, like, deranged. Oh, baby. Well, are you sure he didn't hit you? No. I told you. He never touched me. Then you must have banged your head on the steering wheel No, I don't think so. Well, honey, you either hit something or something hit you. Matt, are you telling me everything? Positive. What are you looking at? I'm just glad you're all right. I just wonder what happened. I wonder who he was, you know? Well, he was probably just a carjacker. You don't know that. Well, he was up to no good. Well, I wish I could be sure. This whole city is just falling apart. It's that lousy mayor and the police don't do anything. Can I get you some aspirin or I don't need an aspirin, Hilary. I'm sorry, OK? I'm fine, Hil. Hey from now on, you're takin' the freeway home. Good morning. Why didn't you wake me? Sweetie, you were tossing and turning all night. I figured you needed some rest. Oh God. What's wrong? Oh, I'm just feelin' achy. I think maybe I'm comin' down with the flu. I bet your muscles are in spasm from all that stress last night. I got a house to show at 9:00 and don't forget you're taking the freeway. You promised. Yeah. Take the freeway. What? Hey, Matt, you catch the game last night? Uh, no. I missed it. You don't score, you can't win. I don't know what's so hard. You throw the ball, you catch the ball. These prima donnas get paid millions and for what to drop balls? I tell you, man, it was pathetic. Yeah, so? W-what do you mean, yeah, so? I was there. So, what's your point? I left the guy there to be killed. I could've done something. Like what? I don't know. L for one thing, I could have let him get in my car. OK, Matt, let me ask you a question. Did you did you know this guy? Of course not. OK, so he was a stranger. What's it matter? OK? He was in trouble. Did you know that at the time? I'm not sure what I knew. Exactly. So some Black guy you never saw before in your life comes running out of the darkness and demands to get into your car. No, more like he was begging. Demanding, begging what's the difference? He wanted to get into your car. Danny he was bleeding! Well, better him than you. Do you know that he was a college professor he had 3 books published? Yeah, yeah, I know. It's a real tragedy. But you've got to remember you've got a wife, a house, a job, a car What's your point? My point is you got too much riding here to risk it all for some stranger. Matt, the way I look at it, you got 2 choices: You can sit around feeling guilty or you can get on with your life. You can do that just just like that, right? Oh, Jesus. OK. Let me ask you a question. If you had known this guy Woodrell was a college professor would you have helped him out? OK, what kind of question is that? Of course I would have. Even though he's Black? I'm not a racist. I never said you were. You got nothin' to feel guilty about 'cause you, my friend, did nothing wrong. Oh Hey, Charlie. How you doin'? Uh, messages, please? Thank you. Hey, Steph. Gabe, how you doin'? Good morning. Hey relax, all right? It's not as bad as it looks. That can't be good for your skin. Just had a little accident, that's all. With a sunlamp? Sunlamp? What are you talking about? Here. Take a look. Well, good news is there's no sign of melanoma or abnormalities of any kind. Your skin, I'm happy to say, is disease free. OK, then what's going on with me? Nothing as far as I can see. Your melanosome levels are within the norm for a person of mixed race. Mixed race? Mixed Park Caucasian, part African-American. Yeah! I'm not part African-American. I'm not African-American at all! I showed you the photo on my driver's license! Mr. McGreevey, I'm a dermatologist not a psychiatrist. You saying I'm you saying I'm crazy now? Is that that I'm saying that melanin levels do not increase radically overnight. Skin pigmentation is determined genetically. You know what? I don't know what's goin' on here but let me tell you somethin' I know who I am, OK? And I know who my parents are. You know what? You can't help me. I'll find someone who can, OK? Hey, honey. Is that you? You're home early What do you want? How did you get in here? What are you talkin' about? You get away from me! I'll call the police! Hilary, sweetie, it's me Matt. Where's my husband? I'm standin' right here! Reggie! Reggie, calm down! Hey! Hey, where you goin' Reggie, settle down! Stay. Stay! Be a good boy! Hey, you! Hold it right there! I got a gun, man! Hank, it's not what you think! I'm Matt McGreevey. Get down! I'll shoot! I can prove it. I'll do it, man! I'd like a room. - Single? - That'll do. OK, it's $125 a night. How'd you like to pay? Credit card. OK. Got a picture I.D.? Yeah, sure. On second thought I'll pay cash. Yeah. I'm still gonna need to see some I.D. With cash? Look, mister, I don't want any trouble What if we make it an even Well, that's OK by me but if you want a room I still have to see a picture I.D. Just forget it. Yeah, a silver Lexus. Looks like the plate, all right. Taxi! Hey! Hey h-hey! Yes, sir. Where can I take you? Son of a bitch. Happens all the time, don't it? Who's out there? If you're a reporter my niece is through talkin' to you people. I'm not a reporter. John! No. I'm not who you think. I don't understand. L I was at the morgue. I identified your body! I'm not John Woodrell. Then who the hell are you? My name's Matt McGreevey. It's the damndest thing you look just like him! Is Mrs. Woodrell home? Why? I need to speak with her. I was there when her husband was attacked. You see? Matthew McGreevey. What kind of crap is this? This is a white man! This is me! At least up until today. Mister, you better tell me what the hell's goin' on here. I'm trying to! Keep your voice down! I need to speak with Mrs. Woodrell. You leave her out of this, you hear me? But she may be the only one that can help me. Help you? Help you how? Help change me back. Man, you got about this porch or I'm callin' the police. No, wait! You're gonna listen to me! John Woodrell came running up to my car asking for help. Instead, I drove away. That's when it started. What started? I started changing. I've been thinking that if I could only make her understand that I'm not a bad guy I'm not an evil person maybe if she knew that, she could forgive me. Maybe everything could go back to normal. I made a mistake. If I had known he was a professor Uh-huh. Please just let me speak to her? But you gotta tell me somethin' first 'cause now you got me curious. Would I make the cut or not? That's not what I meant, sir. That it happened so fast I got scared, that's all. That's the only reason I drove away. Is it? Clare, don't come out here, baby. Mrs. Woodrell It's OK, Thomas. I heard the whole thing. Oh Oh, my God. Clare It's as if he were standing right here before me. I don't mean to bother you Mrs. Woodrell I just have one question I'd like you to answer for me. Anything. If my husband had been a white man would you have helped him? I'm sorry, mister. There's nothin' I can do for you. Please, you gotta help me. Please, l You look lost, boy. Listen, I'm not lookin' for any trouble. Guess what. You found some anyway. Help me! Help! Somebody, please! Help me! Help me, please! Help me! Hey, help! Please! Hey! They're right behind me! No! Listen, my name is John Woodrell. Come on, man! Open up! Hey! Hey! You, open up! Come on, man, please! Please! Aah! Oh, God! Help me! Watch out! Get in here! Get in! Come on! You OK? Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but what made you change your mind? I guess 'cause all I could think was what if it were me? The old saying goes, you don't know a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. Matt McGreevey went one better. He got to walk in another man's skin. A simple lesson in compassion courtesy of The Tw///ght Zone.